Udāna 3.9
Translators: sujato
Heartfelt Sayings 3.9
Sippasutta
Professions
Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
So I have heard.
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.
Tena kho pana samayena sambahulānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantānaṁ maṇḍalamāḷe sannisinnānaṁ sannipatitānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi:
Now at that time, after the meal, on return from almsround, several mendicants sat together in the pavilion and this discussion came up among them:
“ko nu kho, āvuso, sippaṁ jānāti?
“Who knows a craft?
Ko kiṁ sippaṁ sikkhi?
Who is studying which craft?
Kataraṁ sippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti?
Which is the best craft?”
Tatthekacce evamāhaṁsu:
In answer, some said that
“hatthisippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti.
elephant-craft is the best of crafts.
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
Others said that the best craft is
“assasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti.
horse-craft,
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
“rathasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti.
or chariot-craft,
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
“dhanusippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti.
or archery,
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
“tharusippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti.
or swordsmanship,
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
“muddāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti.
or arithmetic,
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
“gaṇanāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti.
or accounting,
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
“saṅkhānasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti.
or calculating,
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
“lekhāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti.
or writing,
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
“kāveyyasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti.
or poetry,
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
“lokāyatasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti.
or cosmology,
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
“khattavijjāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti.
or geomancy.
Ayañcarahi tesaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ antarākathā hoti vippakatā.
At that point the conversation among those mendicants was left unfinished.
Atha kho bhagavā sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yena maṇḍalamāḷo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi.
Then in the late afternoon, the Buddha came out of retreat and went to the assembly hall. He sat down on the seat spread out,
Nisajja kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:
and addressed the mendicants:
“kāya nuttha, bhikkhave, etarahi kathāya sannisinnā, kā ca pana vo antarākathā vippakatā”ti?
“Mendicants, what were you sitting talking about just now? What conversation was left unfinished?”
“Idha, bhante, amhākaṁ pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantānaṁ maṇḍalamāḷe sannisinnānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi:
So the mendicants told him what they had been talking about when the Buddha arrived. The Buddha said,
‘ko nu kho, āvuso, sippaṁ jānāti?
Ko kiṁ sippaṁ sikkhi?
Kataraṁ sippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti?
Tatthekacce evamāhaṁsu:
‘hatthisippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti.
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
‘assasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti.
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
‘rathasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti.
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
‘dhanusippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti.
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
‘tharusippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti.
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
‘muddāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti.
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
‘gaṇanāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti.
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
‘saṅkhānasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti.
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
‘lekhāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti.
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
‘kāveyyasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti.
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
‘lokāyatasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti.
Ekacce evamāhaṁsu:
‘khattavijjāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti.
Ayaṁ kho no, bhante, antarākathā hoti vippakatā, atha bhagavā anuppatto”ti.
“Na khvetaṁ, bhikkhave, tumhākaṁ patirūpaṁ kulaputtānaṁ saddhā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajitānaṁ yaṁ tumhe evarūpiṁ kathaṁ katheyyātha.
“Mendicants, it is not appropriate for you gentlemen who have gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness to talk about such things.
Sannipatitānaṁ vo, bhikkhave, dvayaṁ karaṇīyaṁ—
When you’re sitting together you should do one of two things:
dhammī vā kathā ariyo vā tuṇhībhāvo”ti.
discuss the teachings or keep noble silence.”
Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment:
“Asippajīvī lahu atthakāmo,
“Living without a craft, light, desiring the good,
Yatindriyo sabbadhi vippamutto;
with senses controlled, everywhere free;
Anokasārī amamo nirāso,
a migrant with no shelter, unselfish, <j>with no need for hope,
Hitvā mānaṁ ekacaro sa bhikkhū”ti.
having given up conceit, wandering alone: <j>that is a mendicant.”
Navamaṁ.